Bangalore: The last time India found themselves down in a Test home series was in 2012 when England took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Since then it has been a story of complete dominance over each and every opposition at home. However, the Australians have proven themselves to be different proposition all together and suddenly Virat Kohli’s men have their backs to the wall. The next five days will be a huge test on their mental character.
However, they are against a side who have already tasted blood and would like to continue in that vein. The Australians are already upbeat having proved pundits wrong regarding their 4-0 verdict. In fact Steve Smith’s men are just one win away from retaining the Border-Gavaskar trophy and India’s first aim should be not to lose the game which starts Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here. They must keep the series alive at any cost.
However, it will be easier said than done as the Australians have shown that they are far more difficult opponents than the ones India have faced in the recent past – New Zealand and England. They have the weaponry to trouble India – it’s not just Steve O’ Keefe’s arm ball, but also the reverse swing of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
David Warner still hasn’t fired for the Aussies, but with the pitch on offer being a ‘sporting one’ at least for the first three days, it is quite likely that the left-hander will put the bad form behind. Both Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb, on their first tour of India, have been revelations. The way the two batted against Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on that rank turner in Pune will certainly do wonders to Australia’s confidence. It will certainly provide huge relief to Smith who still continues to be a thorn in India’s path.
The Australian skipper in the last five Tests against India has five centuries to boast of. It just proves India’s inability to prise Smith out. And if they couldn’t do it on a turning track at Pune, certainly here the difficulty would increase manifold. For India to hit Australia hard at the start – a cheap dismissal of Smith should be first priority.
And this is where Kohli’s problems compound. He has all along been a propagator of the five-bowler theory. But the twin failures at Pune, must have had an effect on his mind. Sources indicated here Friday that the option of triple-centurion Karun Nair in place of Jayant Yadav is quite likely on the cards. Nair also bowls occasional spin, but is a far more accomplished batsman than Jayant. With Chinnaswamy being Nair’s home ground, there is every possibility for Kohli to opt for a safer move.
All these are permutations and combinations that will bother Kohli and the team management. The fans want an Indian victory at any cost. However, for that to happen, India need two vital things to go in their favour. The first obviously winning the toss as then India will have an opportunity of making Australia bat fourth.
But then comes, the most important aspect – the form of Ashwin and Jadeja. On the turner at Pune, O’Keefe took 12 wickets – the same as the combined efforts of India’s famed spin twins. If India are to have any hope of restoring parity, the two spinners will have to put their Pune miseries behind them as quickly as possible.
Will the Australians allow them that liberty that is the million dollar question now?
Kohli assures better performance
Indian captain Virat Kohli Friday assured that his team will never repeat the kind of bad performance and lack of intent that led to the humiliating opening Test loss to Australia in Pune. Ahead of the second Test starting here Saturday, Kohli said the hosts have learnt their lessons from the debacle.
“You will not see such a bad performance again, I will assure you that,” said the feisty captain in a pre-match press conference.
Kohli said it was a rare collective failure for the Indians. “Sometimes such defeats are necessary. This gave us a platform to understand where we lacked. This is what happened in the last match. We learnt a lot from that loss,” Kohli said.
Kohli refused to divulge what changes are likely to be made in the playing XI though he promised surprises. “We have a combination in mind and we will finalise it when we sit together this evening. There are all kinds of possibilities tomorrow (Saturday) there could be few surprises,” he said.
Countering rival Australian captain Steve Smith’s assertion that India were under pressure due to an unexpected debacle in the series-opener, Kohli asserted that he and his team are relaxed.
When asked about Smith’s views, Kohli laughed off the suggestions as ‘mind games’. “Me? As a team? Does it look like (under pressure). I’m pretty relaxed. I’m happy. I’m smiling. It’s fine, those are his views. I think it’s time we focus on our skills more than what Australia is saying or preparing like. I know these minds games in these press conferences are something they’re very good at.”
“We are still going to play the cricket that we have played for the last two years and see where the series ends after the fourth game,” he signed off.
Team India under pressure: Smith
Australia captain Steve Smith Friday said they were just one win away from reclaiming the series and the hosts must be feeling the heat since they are trailing as the sides will clash in the second Test here Saturday.
“I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure. Obviously, going into this series, all I heard was 4-0 to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We are one win away from the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
“Things can happen pretty quickly here. So we might be one or two sessions away from getting that back. I’m sure they’ll feel under a bit of pressure,” Smith asserted.
With the big win in the series-opener in Pune is a thing of the past now and the tourists would look to start afresh, Aussie skipper said they can’t afford to dwell on the past for long.
“We can take a lot of heart from the way we played last week. The conditions were very tough and the way the boys adopted to the conditions was appreciable. But it is a new game and we will have to make a fresh start. We will have to start from ball one,” Smith told reporters at the pre-match press conference at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
India call up 15-yr-old for O’Keefe challenge
Strange as it may sound, the Indian batsmen are preparing for the Steve O’Keefe challenge in the second Test here by batting against an under 15-year-old left-arm spinner at the nets. Shubhang Hegde has already made a name for himself by getting selected to the Karnataka under-19 team. However, the chance to bowl against the likes of Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane and Murali Vijay will certainly be a huge confidence-booster for the youngster.
Way back in the late 1980s, another 15-year-old was called to the Indian nets to bat against the likes of Kapil Dev, Manoj Prabhakar, Maninder Singh and the rest is now history. Yes, we are talking about the great Sachin Tendulkar.
It is too early to say whether another bowling ‘Tendulkar’ in the making. But the young Shubhang, who is quite shy informed Friday that he had enjoyed his three-day stint at the Indian nets. “This is my first experience at the India camp. I did not interact much with the coaches or players, but I thoroughly enjoyed my bowling stint. It was a great learning experience,” the bowler said.
